By Joe Haakenson, AngelsWin.com Contributor –
APRIL 12, 2002
GAME 10 – A’S AT ANGELS
ANAHEIM — Four years ago the Walt Disney Co. spent $100 million to renovate Anaheim Stadium, and this past winter the Angels had their trademark Big A painted red, to match the team’s new uniforms.
But the Angels might be wise to consider scrapping the place and playing at a local high school field if the current trend continues.
The Angels’ 5-1 loss to the Oakland A’s Friday night at Edison Field was the club’s fifth loss in a row, all five at home. This season, they’ve fallen seven times in eight home games. Including the final 12 home games last season, the Angels have lost 18 of 20 in their home park.
The 31,815 in attendance Friday didn’t leave early, though, not with a postgame fireworks show planned. But that meant they were forced to sit through another loss to a division foe. The Angels are 2-5 against the A.L. West this season after going 17-41 last year.
A’s starter Tim Hudson (2-0) gave up one run and nine hits in seven innings to get the win over Angels starter Ramon Ortiz (1-1). Ortiz held the A’s scoreless for six innings before giving up three in the seventh.
The A’s added two more in the eighth on a home run by Miguel Tejada off reliever Ben Weber. During their five-game losing streak, the Angels have been outscored, 31-11.
”We’ve really been on the edge the last week,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. ‘We haven’t given ourselves much of a chance. It’s hard to pitch under those circumstances, or produce. There’s a lot of pressure on you. Ramon pitched a terrific game.”
Scioscia said he might sit some of his regulars down this weekend in an effort to get them to relax. Garret Anderson is a candidate, after going 0 for 4 Friday and seeing his average dip to .158. Tim Salmon is hitting .171 and Adam Kennedy is hitting .188.
”Everything is magnified when you’re not scoring runs,” Scioscia said. ”On the pitching end of it, there’s not a lot of room for mistakes. It puts a lot of pressure on the pitcher to know any mistake they make has a greater impact on the game.”
Ortiz held up fine, though, until he went into the seventh with a 1-0 lead.
Eric Chavez led off with walk and went to second on a single by Tejada. Terrence Long followed with a single to left, driving home Chavez. Tejada went to third on the play, drawing a throw from Anderson that skipped past Troy Glaus and went to the backstop.
Anderson’s error allowed Tejada to score and Long to reach third. Long then scored on Ramon Hernandez’s single. After walking Carlos Pena on a 3-2 pitch, Ortiz was taken out of the game with the Angels trailing, 3-1.
The Angels got only one hit in the final three innings to go meekly into the night. Billy Koch pitched the ninth for Oakland for his third save.
”Any time you don’t get the job done it’s frustrating,” Angels designated hitter Brad Fullmer said. ”We haven’t swung the bats great but we haven’t gotten breaks either. We’ve hit balls at people, and the ball isn’t traveling great right now. But we’ve got to find a way to get it done. (Hudson’s) a great pitcher, but we need to find a way to get the job done against whoever we’re facing.”
The Angels missed scoring chances early in the game, as Hudson got help from his defense. To begin the first inning, the Angels got back-to-back singles by David Eckstein and Darin Erstad. But Anderson struck out and Glaus struck out into a double play, as Eckstein was thrown out trying to steal third.
In the second inning, a one-out single by Tim Salmon was erased when Scott Spiezio hit into an inning-ending double play.
In the third, Bengie Molina led off with a double and went to third one out later on Eckstein’s infield single. But again Hudson got the double play, this time when Erstad grounded to the shortstop Tejada, who stepped on second and threw to first.
The Angels scored their only run of the game in the fifth after Spiezio doubled with one out, went to third on a single by Molina and scored on Erstad’s two-out infield single.
NOTEBOOK
ANAHEIM — Going into Friday night’s game against Oakland, Angels left fielder Garret Anderson was hitless in his previous four games. Anderson had not gone hitless in three consecutive games since 1999.
Anderson, though, has never been a fast starter. A career .296 hitter, he has hit .267 in both April and May throughout his career.
”I’m not worried about anything,” said Anderson, who took a .176 average into Friday’s game. ”There’s nothing wrong with me other than guys making great plays against me.”
Mariners center fielder Mike Cameron made a leaping catch at the wall with the bases loaded on Thursday. Cameron also made a running catch in the right-center field gap on Tuesday on another hard-hit ball.
”Garret’s been swinging well, he could easily have about six or eight more RBIs,” manager Mike Scioscia said. ”He’s hit the ball hard with not a lot to show for it, but that’s baseball.”
While Scioscia and the coaching staff have been making an effort to keep the struggling hitters’ confidence up, Anderson has not been a concern.
”I keep a good frame of mind,” Anderson said. ”I know where I’ll be at by year’s end. … I don’t think anybody’s panicking, at least I hope not.”
Anderson said he believes the current Angels are the best he’s seen here since the 1995 season.
”On paper it looks pretty good,” he said. ”But we’ve still got to go out and produce.”
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Anderson, Darin Erstad and Tim Salmon are entrenched in the Angels’ outfield, and Jeff DaVanon and Orlando Palmeiro are the reserve outfielders, but the Angels have a viable option if needed.
Just before the end of spring training, the Angels claimed outfielder Julio Ramirez from the White Sox. Ramirez, 24, is hitting .308 at Triple-A Salt Lake. He is one of the fastest players in the organization, having once stole as many as 71 bases in a minor league season.
”We signed him for outfield depth at the major league level,” Scioscia said. ”We’re going to give this thing a chance to work, but we always have our ear to the track to give us options.”
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Troy Percival (strained muscle in right side) threw off the mound at about 85 percent Friday and felt fine. He’ll throw off the mound again Sunday, after which the club will decide what to do next. It could be a rehab appearance or a simulated game. He’s eligible to come off the disabled list on Friday.
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Outfielder Nathan Haynes and first baseman/DH Shawn Wooten both had pins removed from their surgically repaired thumbs on Friday. Both injured their thumbs during spring training.
Wooten was originally expected to be out until mid-July, but he since has said he believes he’ll be ready in early June.
Troy Percival (strained muscle in right side) threw off the mound at about 85 percent Friday and felt fine. He’ll throw off the mound again Sunday, after which the club will decide what to do next. It could be a rehab appearance or a simulated game. He’s eligible to come off the disabled list on Friday.
*
Outfielder Nathan Haynes and first baseman/DH Shawn Wooten both had pins removed from their surgically repaired thumbs on Friday. Both injured their thumbs during spring training.
Wooten was originally expected to be out until mid-July, but he since has said he believes he’ll be ready in early June.
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